Open cycle gas power plants set to supply 1,000MW

The Dedisa and Avon open cycle gas power plants will supply power to Eskom through a 15-year power purchase agreement. Pic credit: Vanguard

In South Africa, two open-gas peaking power projects, initiated under the South African government’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) in 2010, are making steady progress.

The two power projects, Dedisa and Avon, located in Port Elizabeth and Durban respectively, are ready to supply the South African power grid with an additional 1,000MW of power.

Calling on the heavy-lifters

Vanguard, the international heavy-lift specialist company were sub-contracted to provide both Dedisa and Avon with warehousing, transportation and installation of heavy equipment, including accessories.

Vanguard said in a statement that they have completed the six lines of the handling, transportation and positioning the generating plant.

The South African division of Vanguard was equipped with a 500-tonne hydraulic lift system to place the units into their final position, with an 800-tonne hydraulic lift system for the port works for both projects.

Vanguard’s Dale Huddy said: “The port handling elements for the Avon project required us to have a full operation at Vanguard’s yard in the Richards Bay port.”

He added: “There, we set up one of our 800-tonne hydraulic lift systems to transload the heavy units from our self-propelled modular trailers onto our multi–axle trailers ready for transportation.”

Power project investment

Vanguard stated that the combined investment of the two power projects totals ZAR11 billion and comprises six power generation lines, each line made up of a 191 tonne gas turbine, 231 tonne generator and 140 tonne transformer.

The coordination of the projects was complex according to Vanguard, with teams working in the port and teams on-site to ensure that the project inputs were managed effectively.

Dedisa and Avon

In an earlier report, ESI Africa reported that the 670MW Avon and 335MW Dedisa peaking power plants would be the first large-scale IRP based projects in South Africa, outside of its renewable energy programme, following a power purchase agreement entered into with state-owned power utility Eskom.

The agreement stipulates that the South African power utility would begin purchasing power from the peaking plants once fully commissioned, for a total 15-year period.